The Vengeful Martyr Kidnapping Case
by Swagnarok
Summary: The Mouris, while touring the historic city of Shimabara, come across the three detectives from Nagano Prefecture, who've come to honor a dead comrade. Then somebody claiming to be the ghost of their friend kidnaps Yui, and the kidnapper claims that Kansuke killed him. Episodes 951-953.
1. Chapter 1

" _KIYYAAH_!"

Having completed the kata, Shinichi put his knees together, and his arms on the side of his body, or _kyoski_ , and bowed to Merlot, his sensei. Gin and Vodka were standing on the side watching.

He spread his legs and put his arms into a low block, the waiting stance, or _yo_ - _dachi_.

Gin clapped slowly. "Hmm, keep that up and you could make for an excellent ballerina one day."

"I guess I'll take that as a compliment," Shinichi said.

"You shouldn't. You've been doing this for how many weeks, and this crap is the only stuff you know how to do?"

"His progress has been markedly faster than yours was when you were a beginner," Merlot said.

Ran's training has certainly helped, Shinichi thought.

"I was a bored kid," Gin said. "And nobody ever said to me, 'Hey, we expect you to be the new Rum!'"

"Huuhhh?!" Vodka said, apparently the first time he had ever heard of this.

"W-where did you hear about that?!" Merlot demanded.

"A little birdie told me," Gin said. He took a cigarette and a lighter out of his pocket. He lit the cigarette and put it in his mouth.

Merlot approached him angrily. "HOW many TIMES do I have to TELL you NOT to smoke INDOORS!" He snatched the cigarette from Gin's mouth and slapped him in the face.

Shinichi and Vodka cringed. They half expected Gin to hit the old man back. But to their surprise...

"I apologize, sensei. Just a force of habit, I guess. But like I was saying, you expect far more from this boy than was expected from me, and yet you're going soft on him. I didn't have a plush mat to fall on when you got the better of me when we were sparring."

"What would you suggest, then?" Merlot asked.

Gin moved towards Shinichi. "I'll train him myself, the hard way. We have to speed up his training if we're to be able to deploy him any time soon, and I know just how to do that."

Shinichi could feel his adrenaline racing as Gin's ice-cold pupils stared him down. His fight or flight instincts began to kick in. Flight wasn't possible here, so fight it was then.

"Your ballet won't help you in the real world," Gin said, falling back into a fighting position. "I'll teach you what that real world feels like. Ready yourself for combat!"

Shinichi threw a sharp hook kick at Gin's head. Gin blocked with his wrist and rapidly closed in on Shinichi, using his other hand to punch him in the gut. When Shinichi instinctively reacted to the impact by moving his body downwards, Gin used his other hand to deliver a sharp uppercut, forcing Shinichi backwards. While he was still stunned, Gin slugged him in the face hard, knocking him down onto the mat.

This is...just like before, Shinichi thought, his head throbbing. Just like then. He's beating the tar out of me, and I'm powerless to resist. Wait, what's he...?!

Gin stepped forward, removing a knife from his belt and grinning.

Etched into his muscle memory was the traumatic experience of Gin torturing him, first with his fists but then with a knife. This was turning into a repeat of that, and Shinichi was terrified.

"No...NO! STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Shinichi screamed. "STAY AWAY YOU B****RD!"

Then, there was something in his hand. Gin had tossed him the sheathed dagger. Shinichi looked at it, strongly considering using it.

"Go ahead," Gin said. "Try to kill me, if you can."

" _A-Aniki_ , I really don't think that's wise!" Vodka said.

"I know you want to," Gin said. "That look on your face is as plain as day. If fear won't motivate you to fight, then maybe rage will."

Shinichi stood up. He looked at Gin, homicidal fury written all over his face. He thought about everything this man had put him through, and especially how he had threatened Ran. The time for talk was over. He unsheathed the weapon. It looked nice and sharp, perfect for killing Gin.

"That's right," Gin said. "You know what needs to be done, so come at me."

Shinichi attempted to move his body. It wouldn't budge.

What...am I doing? he thought. This isn't me. This isn't who I am. And I think I know a better way.

He sighed and dropped his knife to the ground.

"Are you trying to tap out?" Gin asked. "Well I've got news for you. In the real world tapping out isn't an option, and it isn't here either. If you won't come at me, I'll come at you."

That's right, Shinichi thought. At this stage there's no way I can keep up with Gin in a fight. But there is something I can do quite well...something that worked against him in the past.

Gin came at him. Shinichi kicked the knife by the handle and sent it flying forward, a highly dangerous projectile that pierced Gin's leg. Gin stopped dead in his tracks and stumbled backwards as Shinichi ran at him and then broke into a sliding motion and literally swept Gin off his feet, sending him crashing down. Shinichi pounced on him and pinned him down.

Then he paused, hesitated, and stood up. Merlot started clapping.

"You filthy cheater, you!" Vodka said angrily, beginning to advance on Shinichi.

"Vodka, enough," Gin said, slowly getting up. "In a real fight there are no rules and no cheaters, only winners and losers. The only people who think otherwise are those who've never been in a real fight. You did good, Kudo. I might actually need to get this wound checked out. Until next week."

Shinichi, satisfied with his victory yet bruised and tired, grinned. "Until next week, Gin."

That's right, Shinichi thought. I've fought so hard and for so long to survive...and I will never stop fighting, not until the day that you're all either behind bars or dead.

 **Opening**

(Cup of Trembling by B'z)

(Each fresh breath of life is a fresh chance to start anew! The three Nagano detectives in Shimabara! Detective Yui is kidnapped by...the ghost of an Edo-era legend? Perceiving the one and only truth! With the body of a child but the mind of an adult, my name is...DETECTIVE CONAN!)

Above all, I'm afraid of you seeing me like this

The youthful vigor sapped from my bones

Too afraid to proceed, too afraid to turn back

A wretch, recoiling from my own shadow

Wallowing in self-pity like a pig wallowing in its crap

I can't check my phone, lest you might try to call

I can't live at home, lest you might try to visit

All I have left is the clothes on my back and

That dreaded bottle, whose contents I dare not drink

Oh I'm going nowhere, a pinwheel spinning in circles

This Cup of Trembling I now raise to my lips and swallow

So I may face the demons haunting my restless nights

I can't show my face to you until I can call myself a man

Until I've walked a full moon carrying my cross

 **The Vengeful Martyr Kidnapping Case! Part One!**

 _He stepped into the alleyway dressed in long clothing, a hat, a fake beard, and sunglasses. He knocked on the door._

 _The sliding peephole was opened. Someone's eyes were looking down at him. "Who are you?"_

 _"I hear this is a place where I can...have some dirty fun?" he said._

 _"What's your name?"_

 _"Takayuki Sakurayama."_

 _"...I see. Wait right there, Sakurayama-san."_

 _The peephole closed again._

 _Junji fidgeted nervously. Did they buy it? If not, what would they do to him? Was it too late just to turn around and leave?_

 _Junji Osawa, age 53, was an officer with the Nagano Prefectural Police. They had received a report that the yakuza was running an illicit gambling ring in this shady part of town. He had a camera hidden on his body in order to obtain video evidence of these activities which, if acquired and delivered to the police, would be enough to put at least a handful of hardened criminals behind bars._

 _Earlier today he had kissed his wife goodbye and headed to work. Not for the last time, or so he hoped. But he knew that if these men saw through his ploy, he was as good as dead._

 _Calm yourself, Junji, he told himself. These men weren't psychics. There was no reason for them to find him any more suspicious than the other visitors they welcomed into their midst. Unless, that certain rumor was true, which would mean that..._

 _The sliding peephole opened again. "Alright, welcome to the club, Sakurayama-san. You got money?"_

 _Junji grinned. "Are you kidding me? I just got paid!"_

 _The door opened. Junji stepped inside. I can't believe things are going this well, he thought._

 _The door slammed shut behind him. Two men in masks grabbed him and held him down. A third man searched him and found the hidden body camera. He crushed it underfoot._

 _"We've been waiting for you, Junji Osawa. We don't appreciate cops snooping around and trying to shut down our honest businesses. Well, I guess we'll just have to make an example out of you, like we did all the others."_

 _But...how? he thought, more shocked than anything else._

 _"Goodbye." The man put a revolver to Junji's head and fired._

 **Scene Transition**

Kogoro, Conan, and Nancy got off at their stop in Shimabara Station and then stepped foot outside.

Kogoro looked at his watch. "Well, it's 12:58 now. Before we begin hitting all the tourist spots how about we go get something to eat?"

Conan nodded. "Sounds good to me. Any ideas?"

"Near Shimabara Castle there's a restaurant called Himematsuya that's well known for its _guzoni_ ," Nancy said.

(Author's Note: Guzoni is a kind of rice cake soup, a specialty of the Shimabara peninsula.)

Kogoro grinned. "Sounds good to me."

 **Scene Transition**

They were seated. A woman brought them their food.

" _Domo_ ," Kogoro said.

Then they started eating.

"Mmm," Kogoro said delightedly after he finished. "The only thing that could make this better would be a nice refreshing glass of..."

"Don't even say it," Nancy said.

"Auntie Eri had us tag along to keep an eye on you, right?" Conan reminded.

"Y-yeah," Kogoro said sheepishly.

Kogoro had won a free trip to Shimabara for two in a raffle ticket contest. However, Eri couldn't come because today was the due date of the trial of her latest client, who had been arrested for stealing fifty tubes of toothpaste. She worried about Kogoro getting drunk so she made him take the two kids along, even though the prize only paid for one other person.

"So, uh, after we're all finished I guess we'll start by touring Shimabara Castle?" Kogoro said.

Nancy nodded excitedly. "I can't believe we're going to step foot in a 400 year old castle!"

"Hmph. 400 year old castle my left eye."

"That voice," Kogoro said.

"Surprise, Mouri-san!" the sole woman said.

From the adjacent stall Yamato Kansuke, Yui Uehara, and Taka'aki Morofushi emerged.

"It-it's the Nagano Police!" Nancy said.

"Oh? And who are you?" Kansuke asked Nancy.

"S-she's a friend," Conan said awkwardly.

"What are you three doing here?" Kogoro asked. "Are you here on vacation like us?"

"Well..." Yui began.

"I guess you could say that," Taka'aki, AKA _Komei_ , said. "You see..."

Kansuke coughed loudly. "Komei, Yui, enough. I doubt Mouri-san and these children want to be burdened with our problems."

"So, uh, Inspector Yamato, what did you mean just now?" Nancy asked. "You acted as though Shimabara Castle isn't really 400 years old."

"Oh, that," Komei said. "The castle as it exists today is a concrete reconstruction of the original, which was burned down in the turbulent years following the Meiji Restoration. So it's really only like 50 or 60 years old, if you think about it that way."

"What I'm interested in knowing is how this girl knew my name upon seeing me for the very first time, and where we were from," Kansuke said.

"I, uh, I told her all about you three," Conan lied.

Conan finished his soup. "Done."

"I say we should all tour the castle together," Yui said. "How about it, Mouri-san?"

"That sounds fine to me," Kogoro said, getting up. "Let's go."

 **Scene Transition**

They went outside and walked across the street until they came to a large bridge leading onto the castle grounds. To the right of it was a large moat with a few koi carp swimming. The whole complex was surrounded by a wooden fence and cherry blossom trees, from which red and white paper lanterns hung.

They stopped for a minute to just gaze upon it and marvel at the vast size of the castle.

"Extraordinary," Kogoro said, "especially for a small city like this."

"Indeed," Komei said. "The lord of Shimabara town, Matsukura Shigemasa, refused to use the castles built by the preceding Arima clan and so he set out to construct this enormous structure. To this end he imposed excessive taxation on the common people, something that later contributed to the Shimabara Rebellion."

(Author's Note: The Shimabara Rebellion was one of the most famous events in Japanese history and the last major incident of civil unrest in Japan until the time of the Meiji Restoration. From 1637 to 1638 predominantly Christian peasants in Shimabara revolted against the Matsukura ruling dynasty, which oppressed the people and was responsible for extreme persecution of Christianity in one of the most Christian regions of Japan. The rebellion was eventually put down and all those who took part were massacred. Had the rebellion succeeded, the religion might have survived in Japan until modern times, and the Japanese isles might have eventually been Christianized from within.)

"To think this magnificent castle was built upon the backs of the working class and all to satisfy one man's vanity," Yui mused.

"Still, it kind of benefited the whole community in a way, right?" Nancy said. "Even before people were allowed to tour the inside, it really is beautiful to look at from the outside. And today it brings in revenue for the city through tourism."

"Hmph, we shouldn't let that person off the hook so easy," Kansuke said. "He was only thinking about himself when he had this castle built, and we should all remember that."

"I-I guess," Nancy said.

"I say we go up there now," Kogoro said.

And so they walked on the side of the bridge road. Cars sped past them coming to and from the castle.

They arrived at the front entrance to the castle, where they were greeted by feudal Japan cosplayers and a flight of stairs draped by a diverse array of blue flags.

They turned their heads to look around the castle grounds. A certain statue caught Kansuke's attention, and then that of the two Nagano police. They walked over to it, and Kogoro and the two "children" followed.

It was a statue of Amakusa Shiro, the charismatic youth who led the Shimabara Rebellion and was beheaded by the central government at its conclusion. His hands were clasped together in fervent prayer, western style.

They gazed at it in silence, and then...

"It kind of looks like him," Kansuke said.

"You think so?" Komei said with a grin.

"Yeah, they both have that chubby face," Yui said. "Though I don't remember him being religious at all, so I guess the resemblance is only skin deep."

"We have to go visit his grave, after we finish touring the castle," Kansuke declared resolutely.

"Agreed," Komei said. Yui nodded.

"Uh, who are you talking about?" Kogoro asked.

Yui turned to Kogoro. "Mouri-san, exactly one hundred days ago a good friend of ours passed away. He originated from here in Shimabara City, so..."

"I see," Kogoro said. "You came here to honor his memory."

"Yeah," Komei said. "His remains lie in a cemetery that's only about three miles from here. By taxi we can get there quickly."

"What was the name of your friend?" Nancy asked.

"Kusao Shiramata."

This answer caught Kogoro, Conan, and Nancy off guard.

"H-hold on," Kogoro said. "But that's an almost perfect anagram of..."

"Yeah," Yui said. "Amakusa Shiro."

"In fact, we his colleagues in the Nagano police nicknamed him after the historical figure, due to the similarities in their names," Komei said.

There was a silence, and then...

"Hey, Yui, Komei," Kansuke said. "I can't wait until later. If we toured the castle now, I wouldn't be able to enjoy it, that one thing remaining unsettled. If it would be alright with you two, could we visit his grave now?"

Yui put her hand on his shoulder. "We feel the same way, Kan-chan."

"Let's go pay our dear friend a final visit," Komei said. He turned to Kogoro. "Mouri-san, it's been a pleasure meeting you once again."

Kogoro shook the hands of the three Nagano police. "No, the pleasure is all mine. This is farewell, I guess."

 **Scene Transition**

The taxicab stopped at the cemetery. Kansuke, Komei, and Yui got out.

"We'll only be a few minutes," Yui told the driver, who nodded.

They walked around until they found the tombstone. They stopped and gathered around it.

"...Here's to a good man whose life was cut short," Komei said.

"Yui, you brought it, right?" Kansuke asked.

Yui nodded. She reached into her purse and took out some flowers, a pack of cigarettes and a can of beer. She laid them down on the grave.

They stood there and contemplated on their memories of Kusao. Out of the corner of his eye, Komei noticed that Kansuke was...

"Kansuke-kun, are you...crying?" Komei asked.

Yui, in turn, was a bit startled to see her usually stoic comrade cry.

"...I can't do this," Kansuke said, and he hurriedly walked back to the car. Komei followed after him, leaving Yui by herself.

Yui sighed.

She didn't notice the man coming at her from behind, until he had grabbed her and held the chloroform-soaked rag to her face. Within seconds she was out like a light.

Komei and Kansuke returned to the grave just in time to see the masked man dragging Yui into a black van.

"H-HEY!" Kansuke said. The two of them ran after the van, but it was too late.

Just as the car was speeding off, one of the masked men opened the window and threw out an envelope. Kansuke and Komei rushed to pick it up.

"W-we need to call the police!" Komei began.

"Hold on," Kansuke said. "This is probably a ransom note. If one of their demands is for us not to contact the local police, then you could be putting Yui in even greater danger than she is now."

Realizing Kansuke was right, Komei put the phone back in his pocket. "What does it say?"

Kansuke took it out and read it:

Like all men I could not withstand the passage of time  
My body wasted away, my soul scattered by the winds  
Nothing remains of your friend, except this one thing  
A fragment of me lives on in your heart, your memories

"This is..." Komei began.

"The death poem of Kusao Shiramata," Kansuke confirmed.

"There's something at the bottom," Komei said. "It says, 'I am the ghost of Amakusa Shiro. After 100 days I have returned to take revenge on my killer, Yamato Kansuke.'"

He looked at his one-eyed comrade. "Kansuke-kun, surely it wasn't you that...?"

"We don't have time for this!" Kansuke barked. "Look, there's something written on the back. It says..."

 **Ending**

(Spirit by Rina Aiuchi)

There are only two kinds of people in this complex world

Those who'll fight for what's precious and everyone else

Sometimes I lay awake at night wondering why this is

Is it perhaps that we believe all hope is already lost?

It takes a lot less effort to tap out and forfeit the prize

Hang our heads in shame and defeat, a prisoner of war

Too many voices have cried out "Awaken, thou that sleepest!"

What we need is soothing balm so these bones may stir again

Come, you and me, together let's put on a show for the ages

Hurry, the curtain rises, the epic drama begins to unfold!

Oh you graceful swan, dancing in the middle of the downpour

All the world's your stage, and every eye is fixed on you

You've got heart, and nobody can ever take that away from you

Give them what they came for, the indomitable human spirit!


	2. Chapter 2

The taxicab stopped at the cemetery. Kansuke, Komei, and Yui got out.

"We'll only be a few minutes," Yui told the driver, who nodded.

They walked around until they found the tombstone. They stopped and gathered around it.

"...Here's to a good man whose life was cut short," Komei said.

"Yui, you brought it, right?" Kansuke asked.

Yui nodded. She reached into her purse and took out some flowers, a pack of cigarettes and a can of beer. She laid them down on the grave.

They stood there and contemplated on their memories of Kusao. Out of the corner of his eye, Komei noticed that Kansuke was...

"Kansuke-kun, are you...crying?" Komei asked.

Yui, in turn, was a bit startled to see her usually stoic comrade cry.

"...I can't do this," Kansuke said, and he hurriedly walked back to the car. Komei followed after him, leaving Yui by herself.

Yui sighed.

She didn't notice the man coming at her from behind, until he had grabbed her and held the chloroform-soaked rag to her face. Within seconds she was out like a light.

Komei and Kansuke returned to the grave just in time to see the masked man dragging Yui into a black van.

"H-HEY!" Kansuke said. The two of them ran after the van, but it was too late.

Just as the car was speeding off, one of the masked men opened the window and threw out an envelope. Kansuke and Komei rushed to pick it up.

"W-we need to call the police!" Komei began.

"Hold on," Kansuke said. "This is probably a ransom note. If one of their demands is for us not to contact the local police, then you could be putting Yui in even greater danger than she is now."

Realizing Kansuke was right, Komei put the phone back in his pocket. "What does it say?"

Kansuke took it out and read it:

Like all men I could not withstand the passage of time  
My body wasted away, my soul scattered by the winds  
Nothing remains of your friend, except this one thing  
A fragment of me lives on in your heart, your memories

"This is..." Komei began.

"The death poem of Kusao Shiramata," Kansuke confirmed.

"There's something at the bottom," Komei said. "It says, 'I am the ghost of Amakusa Shiro. After 100 days I have returned to take revenge on my killer, Yamato Kansuke.'"

He looked at his one-eyed comrade. "Kansuke-kun, surely it wasn't you that...?"

"We don't have time for this!" Kansuke barked. "Look, there's something written on the back. It says..."

 **Opening**

(Cup of Trembling by B'z)

(Each fresh breath of life is a fresh chance to start anew! The three Nagano detectives in Shimabara! Detective Yui is kidnapped by...the ghost of an Edo-era legend? Perceiving the one and only truth! With the body of a child but the mind of an adult, my name is...DETECTIVE CONAN!)

Above all, I'm afraid of you seeing me like this

The youthful vigor sapped from my bones

Too afraid to proceed, too afraid to turn back

A wretch, recoiling from my own shadow

Wallowing in self-pity like a pig wallowing in its crap

I can't check my phone, lest you might try to call

I can't live at home, lest you might try to visit

All I have left is the clothes on my back and

That dreaded bottle, whose contents I dare not drink

Oh I'm going nowhere, a pinwheel spinning in circles

This Cup of Trembling I now raise to my lips and swallow

So I may face the demons haunting my restless nights

I can't show my face to you until I can call myself a man

Until I've walked a full moon carrying my cross

 **The Vengeful Martyr Kidnapping Case! Part Two!**

 _He could hear the turning of the doorknob. He turned his head to see who it was. Maybe an orderly? No, this was..._

 _"Uh, hi," Kusao said, a bit awkwardly._

 _Kusao was wearing a red coat and blue jeans. He sported a mustache on his chubby face._

 _Kansuke sighed. "Didn't I tell you already to shave that gross caterpillar thing?"_

 _"It suits me," Kusao said with a grin._

 _"If you say so."_

 _"So, uh, I heard from Uehara that..."_

 _"Yeah, they say I'm never gonna recover full function in my leg."_

 _"I was talking about your eye," Kusao said._

 _Kansuke scoffed. "I can get by just fine with one eye. It's my leg that really bothers me. These days, I can't even go to the bathroom by myself. But I don't imagine you know what that's like."_

 _Kusao sat down. "When I was ten years old, I went swimming by myself in a pond on the grounds of the family country home. It was stupid. I mean, at the time I hadn't even learned how to swim."_

 _"What happened?" Kansuke asked._

 _"When they pulled me out of the water, supposedly I was brain dead for fifteen minutes. After I regained consciousness, it took me two and a half years to regain motor function to my lower body. I had to be pushed around in a wheelchair."_

 _"Naturally, after that, I was terrified of the water," he continued. "But when I knew that I wanted to be a police officer, I knew I had to learn how to swim. So I hired a coach and spent an hour in the water every day for a month."_

 _"I suppose you're about to tell me the moral to your story," Kansuke said._

 _"Yeah. It's this: that you can't let fear and circumstances hold you back. One day, you'll recover. If not, you'll adjust. You're the best cop I've ever had the pleasure of working alongside, so I have faith you'll be back on your feet and at work in no time."_

 _Kansuke chuckled. "I can picture myself one year from now trying to chase after a criminal with a walking cane in hand."_

 _Kusao chuckled. "Yeah, well, that's what you have a gun for._ _"_

 _Kansuke chuckled again. "'Hold it, you! Let me catch up with my one good leg or I'll shoot!'"_

 _"And that's when they just start laughing, because they know you don't have it in you to shoot a man in the back," Kusao said._

 _There was a silence. And then..._

 _"Listen, man, I really appreciate you dropping by," Kansuke said. "I haven't had a whole lot of visitors. Just Uehara, and Komei once."_

 _"Speaking of which, I hear he got in trouble, for that," Kusao said._

 _"...Yeah. I guess that's just the way this world works. You save a man's life and get demoted for it."_

 _"That's why the police exist," Kusao said. "To combat injustice wherever it exists, at the highest levels of government if necessary. And that's why you need to get better. That fight is so much harder without you at our sides. Well, I'd better be going now. I've got another shift in forty minutes."_

 _"Alright, bye."_

 _He slammed the door a bit too hard as he went, leaving Kansuke to his thoughts._

 **Scene Transition**

The first floor of Shimabara Castle housed Christian artifacts.

"Ehh? Conan, do you know what this is?" Nancy asked. "It doesn't look Christian."

Conan took a look at the figurine cased behind glass. "That's the Virgin Mary with child, disguised as Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy in order to evade detection by the authorities. Hence, they're referred as images of Maria-Kannon."

"Very perceptive, Conan-kun."

Conan and Nancy turned around to see Ryan Jackson, the African-American CIA agent, standing there.

"I have another question for you," Ryan Jackson said. "You see that tea cup on display? What's special about it?"

Conan took a good look at it. "Uh, well...too be honest, I'm not sure."

"When about to drink tea from cups like that, Japanese Christians would turn the cup three times to symbolize the Holy Trinity," Jackson answered. "It was a subtle gesture that most Japanese wouldn't pick up on. It's one of those things you have to be keeping an eye out for to notice. In some ways those people were like secret agents, I guess."

"I take it you just came to Shimabara to enjoy the local attractions?" Conan asked.

"Well, I guess in a way. Actually, in college I wrote my senior thesis paper on the history of Christianity in Japan, so when I got an opportunity to come here I just couldn't pass up. But while I have every intention of taking full advantage of my time spent here, I also came here to talk to you."

"You want to talk about Shiro Ayamori," Nancy guessed, referring to Ryusuke Higo, AKA Rum, who had recently entered the Witness Protection Program and was given a new name after being shrunken by the apotoxin and enrolled in Teitan Primary School.

Ryan Jackson looked her in the eye. "And you must be Ran Mouri. I met you back in the Folding House, but we didn't really get a chance to mingle then. You're correct, by the way. Conan-kun, how is he doing?"

"He's adjusted pretty fast," Conan said.

"To date, have you noticed him doing anything...suspicious?"

"You want to know if he's tried to get in contact with his people," Conan guessed.

"His former people, hopefully. Has he?"

Conan shook his head. "Not that I've seen. In fact, he acts like he plans on staying there for a long time. He's already taken steps to socialize with the students. It certainly helps that he's a world-class soccer player. He's a pretty popular guy already, I must say."

"At the same time, though, him becoming renowned for his soccer abilities could be a way to help his people locate him easier," Ryan Jackson said. "If you can, try to dissuade him from drawing attention to himself."

"Huuh? Ryan Jackson-san? I haven't seen you since-"

"Mouri-san. It has indeed been a while."

Kogoro approached him. He extended his hand and Jackson shook it.

"How are you and your wife holding out?" Jackson asked.

Kogoro looked kind of uncomfortable. "Who told you...about that?"

"Word gets around," Jackson said.

He took a card out of his pocket and handed it to Kogoro. "If you want to talk, about anything at all..."

"Uh, I'm sorry but I'm not a Christian," Kogoro said.

Jackson shrugged. "Nonetheless, one of the basic duties of a pastor is to listen to the troubles of the people in his community, and I guess you could call Tokyo that right now. Please, take the card. You don't ever have to actually use it, I just ask that you keep the option open."

Kogoro accepted the card and put it in his pocket. "Thank you, Jackson-san."

Jackson turned to go.

"Wait," Kogoro said. "Uh, just out of curiosity, where do you come from? You're an American, if I remember right?"

"Yup. I was born and raised in and am married to a wonderful woman who lives in Metairie, a medium sized city near New Orleans, Louisiana, the birthplace of jazz and Pupeye's Chicken."

"Can you play jazz?" Nancy asked.

Jackson shrugged. "I'm not really sure about that, but they say I'm beast mode with a saxophone, if that's the hip phrase kids these days. Well, I hope to see you guys around."

 **Scene Transition**

They reached the fifth floor and then stepped out onto the observation deck.

They looked out across the city below, a truly panoramic view.

"All the buildings are so small," Nancy said with amazement.

Kogoro looked out at Mount Unzen, which overshadowed the city.

"...Dang," he said. "It's so foggy over there you can hardly see a thing. I'm not sure if we'll be able to enjoy climbing the mountain."

He looked at his watch. "Hey, brats, once you're both through here let's visit the famous samurai district nearby."

They both nodded eagerly. "Okay."

 **Scene Transition**

About a five minute walk away from the castle grounds is the Teppo-Machi Samurai District, a long street built in the 1600s with a small canal running through the middle of it. On both sides of the street are walls made out of local volcanic rock, designed to ensure the privacy of all the street's residents. In the feudal era, the samurai who served the lord of Shimabara resided in this neighborhood, as did the gun wielding foot soldiers under his command. Today, three Edo-era samurai homes remain intact in the Teppo-Machi district: the Shinozuka House, the Torita House, and the Yamamoto House. All three preserved homes are, as of the time of writing, open to tourists.

In the three preserved Samurai homes, the roofs are made out of a thick layer of thatch. The inside of the homes consist of open rooms decorated in traditional Japanese style, with mannequins recreating scenes from the everyday lives of the people who lived there hundreds of years ago.

After they finished touring the three homes, Kogoro looked at his watch. It said 2:49.

"Hmm," he said. "What's left to do before hitting the mountain...?"

"Ah, how about the Shimeiso House?" Nancy suggested excitedly.

"The what?" Kogoro asked.

"That's the house with the pond and the Koi swimming, right?" Conan asked.

Nancy nodded. "We should definitely give it a try."

"MOURI-SAN!"

Komei ran up to him, panting hard.

"Whoa, you look out of breath," Kogoro said.

"Please...you got to help us," Komei said.

"Komei! Mouri-san!"

Kansuke caught up with his friend and the famous Sleeping Kogoro, also panting.

"I take it something's the matter?" Kogoro asked.

"Wait, where's Detective Uehara?" Conan asked.

"That's just it!" Komei said.

"Mouri-san, Yui's life is in peril," Kansuke said, a tone of desperation in his voice.

"What?!" Kogoro said.

"Here, read this," Komei said, handing Kogoro the ransom note.

Kogoro carefully read it and then looked at Kansuke wide-eyed. "I-Inspector, you...?"

"Hmph, it isn't like that," Kansuke snapped. "Anyhow, that matter can wait for later. Look at the back."

Kogoro turned the page.

"If you want to save your friend, solve the meaning behind this riddle," Kogoro read out loud.

The riddle was:

 _Stand for Flow-san! What? We can go home? Yay!_

And then below that, it read, "When you figure this out, make your way to that place. Don't contact the local police or your friend dies."

"What the h*ll...?" Kogoro muttered loudly.

"We were hoping you could figure it out," Komei said. "But it would seem even the great Detective Mouri is stumped."

"Hey, Uncle, can I see that?" Conan asked.

"No way!" Kogoro said.

But then Kansuke snatched it from Kogoro's hand and handed it to Conan. "Here you go, Conan-kun."

Conan read it.

Stand for Flow-san, Conan thought. I don't know who flow-san is, but...What? We can go home...yay? Yay? That's a hint, I think. If it means that, then the idea of standing, and the use of honorifics, is designed to be like a...

 **Scene Transition**

Yui regained consciousness and opened her eyes.

She was tied and gagged, and apparently lying on her side inside the back of a big vehicle.

The last thing she remembered...Her eyes grew big.

That's right, she thought, this is a kidnapping! But why, what do they want with me? Is it that they knew I was a tourist? Did they just see me as easy bait, a poor sap to hold ransom for cash? If that's so, then they've probably already been in contact with my family, or they're going to at least. Or is this something more sinister, something aimed at the Japanese police force? In that case, how did they know I was an officer of the law? Unless...these people are connected somehow to the Nagano Prefectural Police Department! That must be how they knew. Maybe they just hate cops? Are they going to kill me? Am I going to die here? I've got to get out of here! Huh? What's that...are my kidnappers talking?

"...I see, not yet, you say? Alright, keep us updated, little bro. We're counting on you."

Little...bro? she thought. Are my assailants a group of brothers working together? Hold on, in that case they might be...is this...?

 **Scene Transition**

Nancy sighed and handed the letter back to Komei.

"Hmph, I told you a little brat wouldn't get it if we adults couldn't," Kogoro said.

"Hey, you two!"

Kansuke and Komei were approached by their taxi cab driver, Konoyuki Aowara.

"Ah, sorry," Komei said to him. "We can't afford for you to leave just yet."

"Please, this is really important," Kansuke said. "I promise we'll make it worth your time."

Aowara shrugged. "Whatever you say pal, as long as you got cash. I'll be waiting in the car nearby."

Then he left.

Kogoro sighed. "Maybe we should just contact the police."

"No!" Kansuke barked. "We can't gamble with Yui's life, you hear me?!"

"Y-yeah," Kogoro said sheepishly.

"Hey," Conan said in a childish voice. "I just remembered something. In school, when Kobayashi-sensei enters the classroom we all stand up. And when it says 'Yay!', that's like something a kid would say, right?"

"H-he's right!" Komei said. "This is a reference to schoolchildren!"

"Or a school," Conan said. "But most telling is Flow-san. When volcanoes, such as the nearby Mount Unzen, erupt violently, they often discharge what's known as a pyroclastic flow, which is a mixture of rock and molten hot gas moving downhill like a river. It can incinerate a person in an instant if said person was caught in one."

They looked at him suspiciously.

"T-there was a volcano documentary on TV the other day!" Conan said sheepishly.

"Hey, if I remember correctly, didn't Mount Unzen erupt frequently in the early 1990s?" Komei asked.

"Yeah, I think there was even one incident that killed 43 people," Kansuke said. "Mostly journalists and volcanologists."

"I got it!" Nancy said.

They all looked at her.

"In the 1990s a nearby school called Onokoba Primary was destroyed by a pyroclastic flow," Nancy said. "The school was evacuated and there were no fatalities, but the inside of the school was largely destroyed, and today it stands only as a memorial to the 1990s Mount Unzen eruptions."

"That must be it," Kansuke said. "Hey kid, while you're online go find us some directions to the school!"

"Hey, Aowara-san!" Komei called out, running off.

 **Scene Transition**

They were all packed inside Aowara's taxicab. They came upon a red light; Conan noticed Aowara putting his head down while wearing a cap.

"Hey, Kansuke, what if that interpretation of the riddle is incorrect?" Komei asked. "The kidnappers might grow impatient with us not showing."

"W-what other leads do we have?!" Kansuke barked.

Komei put his hand on Kansuke's shoulder. "Hey, I share your concern for Yui. But we can't save her by making irrational gambles that serve no purpose but to get someone killed."

Kansuke was silent.

Nancy looked at her phone. "Now take a right, Aowara-san."

The driver nodded and took the sharp turn a bit too fast.

In just a few minutes they'd be there. What did the kidnappers want, and would an exchange take place on the grounds of the old school? Or were the kidnappers lying in wait to carry out some even more sinister plot?

 **Ending**

(Spirit by Rina Aiuchi)

There are only two kinds of people in this complex world

Those who'll fight for what's precious and everyone else

Sometimes I lay awake at night wondering why this is

Is it perhaps that we believe all hope is already lost?

It takes a lot less effort to tap out and forfeit the prize

Hang our heads in shame and defeat, a prisoner of war

Too many voices have cried out "Awaken, thou that sleepest!"

What we need is soothing balm so these bones may stir again

Come, you and me, together let's put on a show for the ages

Hurry, the curtain rises, the epic drama begins to unfold!

Oh you graceful swan, dancing in the middle of the downpour

All the world's your stage, and every eye is fixed on you

You've got heart, and nobody can ever take that away from you

Give them what they came for, the indomitable human spirit!

 **Next Conan's Hint: Condensation**


	3. Chapter 3

The taxicab swerved into the parking lot. Kansuke, Komei, and Kogoro got out.

Kogoro turned to the two kids. "You two stay in here."

Then he ran off. The of them split up to find Yui faster.

Onokoba Elementary School was rendered uninhabitable by an eruption of Mount Unzen on September 15, 1991.

Komei walked past a small red car, not suspecting anything. The door opened and a man in a mask stepped out. The man pointed a gun at him.

"Don't move."

Realizing that he was standing face to face with one of Yui's kidnappers, he raised his hands in the air. "I take it Yui isn't here?"

"The woman? No. But we can take you to her."

Then he took a taser out of his coat pocket.

Komei sighed. "Do what you must."

 **Scene Transition**

Kogoro and Kansuke met up. The little red car was close by and in sight.

"You found her?" Kogoro asked.

Kansuke shook his head. "I wonder if Kom..."

"HEY!" Nancy said.

They then noticed Komei being dragged into the car, and Nancy standing near the vehicle. They ran towards it, just for a masked man to step out and point a gun at them. They stopped in their tracks.

Another masked man, the one who tasered Komei, then tasered Nancy. He grabbed her unconscious body and picked her up.

" _Oy_ , Nancy, Uncle told us to..."

Conan came into sight of the car and saw his childhood friend being carried by the masked men.

He deployed his soccer ball and activated his special shoes.

But then the man saw Conan and pointed his gun at Nancy. Conan sighed and stood down.

The two men got into the car, along with their two unconscious hostages, and drove off. As they were leaving, one of them rolled down the window and threw out another envelope.

"NO!" Kogoro said.

Kogoro tried to run after the vehicle but after half a minute he was out of breath.

They all gathered back near Kansuke, who was holding this second random note.

"...What's it say?" Kogoro asked.

Kansuke was silent.

"HEY! What the heck does it say?!" Kogoro demanded.

"...It says," Kansuke began, " _No more games. We have your friends, Yamoto Kansuke. By tomorrow morning you will have killed yourself through seppuku, or else your friends are as good as dead. Signed, the ghost of Amakusa Shiro_."

S-seppuku?! Kogoro thought. What on earth is going on here?!

 **Opening**

(Cup of Trembling by B'z)

(Each fresh breath of life is a fresh chance to start anew! The Nagano police have been abducted, along with Nancy! All they left behind is a deadly ultimatum for Inspector Yamato Kansuke! Perceiving the one and only truth! With the body of a child but the mind of an adult, my name is...DETECTIVE CONAN!)

Above all, I'm afraid of you seeing me like this

The youthful vigor sapped from my bones

Too afraid to proceed, too afraid to turn back

A wretch, recoiling from my own shadow

Wallowing in self-pity like a pig wallowing in its crap

I can't check my phone, lest you might try to call

I can't live at home, lest you might try to visit

All I have left is the clothes on my back and

That dreaded bottle, whose contents I dare not drink

Oh I'm going nowhere, a pinwheel spinning in circles

This Cup of Trembling I now raise to my lips and swallow

So I may face the demons haunting my restless nights

I can't show my face to you until I can call myself a man

Until I've walked a full moon carrying my cross

 **The Vengeful Martyr Kidnapping Case! Part Three!**

 _Kansuke stepped into the office and closed the door behind him._

 _Sitting in the desk in front of him was his superior officer._

 _The man sighed. "I never thought the day would come that I'd have to say this, Kansuke-kun. I always thought that I could trust each and every one of the men and women with whom I share a common allegiance to this badge and to the oath we swore as police officers!"_

 _There was a pause._

 _"But in these past few months, I've discovered something truly saddening, something that I've never seen in my 27 years on the Force. It would seem...that someone among us is a traitor."_

 _"...And you're suspecting one of my colleagues?" Kansuke asked, a bit surprised by this news._

 _"Or you, possibly," the man said._

 _"But sir, I..."_

 _"I don't suspect you any more than I do the others, but I don't want to rule out any possible suspects because of personal feelings," the police officer said. "Such a thing would be the textbook definition of corruption, and I feel like we who're bound to defend the law should be especially wary of corruption in all forms."_

 _"I understand," Kansuke said. "What evidence do you have of there being a traitor in the Nagano police?"_

 _"What happened to Junji is proof," the man said. "Those people knew ahead of time that Junji was a police officer. And then there's the four other good men and women who met similar fates in the past 8 months. By process of elimination I've narrowed it down to people who've worked here longer than 8 months, and people who would've had access to information on those undercover operations. I've put together a list of roughly 20 men and women who work in this department, all of them suspects. Of course, I myself am on that list."_

 _He opened his desk drawer and handed the list to Kansuke._

 _"...I know every name on this list," Kansuke said sadly. "Even Yui's on here."_

 _"Tomorrow I'm going to hold a briefing," the man said. "All 20 people on this list will be present. They'll be informed of an undercover sting operation to obtain photographic evidence of the sexual solicitation of minors on Dobuita Street. The catch is that our agent will be departing the station as they're being briefed. Hence, that person won't have a lot of time to inform their people. They'll have to do it there at work."_

 _"C-chotto matte kudasai!" Kansuke said. "Whoever that agent is will be knowingly walking into a death trap!"_

 _"You need not worry about that," the man said. "The sting operation in question won't actually be taking place. It'll just look that way in the eyes of our mole. That person been ordered to head straight home instead. And don't worry, that person isn't on the list, so it's someone I suspect we can trust."_

 _"...Why are you telling me all this?" Kansuke asked. "I'm a suspect, aren't I?"_

 _"Indeed you are, but of all the names on that list you're probably the least likely to be the culprit. You were on leave around the time frame of the sting operation that led to Hirosuke-kun's death two months ago, and as such you weren't briefed on the matter, and yet he turned up dead anyway. But regardless, I called you here and told you all this for a reason. Provided that the mole isn't you, and it isn't me, and it isn't the person who I chose for tomorrow's mission, then the mole at this time is unaware that we're on to him or her. It's likely then that after the briefing they won't suspect anything and instead rush straight to get in contact with their associates. When the time comes, I want you to keep an eye out for the person who acts the most suspicious."_

 _"Kansuke," he continued, "I cannot overstate the importance of what I'm asking you to do. As long as this disgusting person remains able to hide among us, we Nagano Prefectural police officers will remain effectively hamstrung in our war on crime, perhaps for decades to come."_

 _"...I-I'm not sure if I could take knowing who that person is. But..."_

 _He put his legs together and saluted. "In the name of my country and my community which I swore to protect and serve even with my life, I shall do as you ask, sir!"_

 _The man stood and saluted back. "Dismissed!"_

 _Kansuke swiveled 180 degrees and walked out the door._

 **Scene Transition**

Kogoro grabbed Kansuke by the collar.

"H-hey, Uncle!" Conan protested.

"You," Kogoro said, a practically murderous look on his face. "You're going to tell me why those men want you dead, and you're going to tell me right now."

Kansuke looked equally hostile for a moment, but then he just looked apathetic and depressed. "...Mouri-san, we didn't tell you the story about how our friend, Kusao Shiramata, died."

"How did he die?" Kogoro pressed. "Did you murder him? Is that what this is about?"

"No, he killed himself," Kansuke said. "One hundred days ago he was found dead in his apartment, having died in kneeling position on the kitchen floor. His abdomen had been pierced with a _tanto_ blade, and then the knife was drawn from left to right. Likewise, a death poem was found on the kitchen counter."

"I see," Kogoro said. "Your friend killed himself by seppuku, the method of ritual suicide reserved for samurai."

"His family was of samurai ancestry," Kansuke said. "In life he was immensely proud of this fact, which is why he chose to go out that way."

"Why did he kill himself in the first place though?" Conan asked.

Kansuke shrugged. "He could've been in the spiral of deep depression, for all we know. But these people, whoever they are, blame me for his death."

"But why?" Kogoro asked.

"Because...I was the last person to talk to him," Kansuke said. "He and I had a private conversation, and then he went straight home from the police station and killed himself."

"So they think you blackmailed him into committing suicide," Kogoro asked.

Kansuke grinned sadly. "Yeah. I suppose that's the natural conclusion, if I were them."

"Did you?" Conan asked.

"Has anyone ever told you you ask too many questions sometimes?!" Kansuke snapped.

So he did do it? Kogoro thought.

"I will say this once, and only once," Kansuke declared with great conviction. "I cared deeply about Kusao. I only wanted what was best for him."

Suddenly they heard police sirens.

"Huh? What's this?" Kansuke said.

They went to take a look. At that moment a police officer approached them.

"My name is Officer Iwano," he said. "Did you see a red car pass?"

"Y-yeah," Kogoro said. "It..."

"Mouri-san, enough!" Kansuke said. "We don't know what'll happen if we talk to the police about that. So why are you after the red car?"

"It was stolen two days ago," Officer Iwano said.

"Hey, mister, was a big black van stolen around this same time too?" Conan asked.

"Huuh?" Officer Iwano said. "How did you know that, boy? Indeed, both vehicles were stolen at almost the exact same time, in different parts of the city. We suspect at least three culprits."

"To answer your question, yes, we did happen to see a red car just like a minute ago," Conan said.

"And what way did it go?" Officer Iwano asked.

"T-this kid doesn't know what he's...!" Kansuke protested.

"It went that way!" Conan said, pointing in the opposite direction of the one the car actually went in.

"I see," Iwano said. "Thank you for your assistance, boy."

"Ah, I just have one question!" Conan said. "When was the last time it rained here in Shimabara?"

"Eh? Oh, you're not from around here, huh? Uh, it was something like five days ago."

"Say what?!" Kogoro and Kansuke exclaimed at the same time.

You two must've noticed it too, then, Conan thought. That the red car had wet windows, but the rest of the car was dry.

Officer Sakaguchi walked away

"Maybe they recently washed the car?" Kogoro suggested.

"Idiot, why would they bother to wash a stolen car?" Kansuke said. "You know, come to think of it, I think the black van might've also had wet windows."

That would mean the two cars are kept in the same criminal hideout, Conan thought, confirming that the two sets of kidnappers are working as a team.

"I-I know!" Kogoro said. "Look, Mount Unzen! It's been shrouded in fog all day long! Maybe that means it...!"

"Fog doesn't mean rain, old man," Kansuke said, a little annoyed. "But I guess it won't hurt to ask. Hey, Conan-kun, can you Goggle the phone number for the Mount Unzen Visitor Center?"

Conan did so and read it out loud. Kansuke punched in the number on his phone.

"Hello," he said. "I'm just calling to ask: has it rained up on Mount Unzen today?...No? I see. When was the last time it rained up there?...Five days ago? I see...No, nothing's the matter, ma'am. I was just curious. Thank you for your time, goodbye."

He hung up. "Does that answer your question, Mouri-san?"

Mouri looked very distraught. He faced the other way and began to just walk.

 **Scene Transition**

All he could think about was that little girl. Nancy Akechi.

It had only been a few months since she came to stay with him and Eri. Heck, he had never even met her parents. Her origin was a complete mystery.

But despite this, he couldn't really imagine staying in a home without her. When Ran died, somehow the introduction of this girl to his life made it feel like Ran was still there. In fact, somehow this was better, because he knew that Ran would've left home in a few years, her being a high schooler and all. Some weird thing happened where Conan somehow ended up staying with the Mouris indefinitely; he had yet to hear word from that woman, what was her name...? Fumiyo Edogawa. Maybe the same thing would happen with Nancy. The two kids had uncannily similar backgrounds, of the little he knew. Maybe Nancy would stay with them until she eventually graduated high school. She was obviously a different person from Ran, but somehow she was just like a younger version of his daughter. But this time, he would do it right. This time, he and his wife would raise this child together, and give this child a proper upbringing with both an adopted mother and father. This was his second chance with Ran.

But now her life was in now she was in the hands of some very dangerous men. She was his one lifeline to Ran, and even this was slipping away...

What am I doing? he thought. A child's life is in danger and all I can think about is myself? Am I really that disgusting or what?

"Hey, Uncle."

"Not now, Conan," Kogoro said.

"Listen, we'll get her back," Conan said, with an adult tone that took Kogoro off guard. "I swear it, she's going to live."

"...Don't make promises that you can't keep, kid," Kogoro said. "I've done plenty of that in my life, and all it does is to cheapen your word, one of the most sacred things that a man has. His word."

"A man's daughter is more important," Conan said. "And right now, yours needs you."

" _B_ - _Baka_ ," Kogoro said. "She's not my daughter."

"She's not Ran, you mean."

"And why are you just saying her name like that?" Kogoro asked derisively. "Didn't you used to call her 'Ran-neechan'? Or has it really been so long that you've forgotten? Well, I guess I shouldn't expect a little spoiled brat to..."

"The use of honorifics was always inappropriate," Conan said, again with an adult tone of voice. "We were always equals. It's only been in recent months that this fact was reflected in both of our bodies."

Kogoro grabbed him by the shoulders. "Hey now! What did you mean just now?! Are Nancy and Ran...?!"

"U-uncle, you're starting to scare me," Conan said, withdrawing from this brief moment of brazen honesty. "Nancy needs us. That's all I meant."

Kogoro hesitated for a moment but then gave it up. "Whatever. Anyhow, we don't have any leads on the kidnappers."

"Yo, Mouri!"

Kansuke came running. "You gotta come see this!"

 **Scene Transition**

They passed through the barricade of police cars and went up to the front window.

Aowara rolled down the window.

"Hey, you," Kogoro said, a ticked off look on his face. "Did I hear right that you tried to bail on us just now?"

"P-police cars are scary," Aowara said apologetically. "I figured they might've been coming for me."

"Hey, you three know this guy?" Officer Iwano asked.

"Y-yeah, he's our cab driver, Konoyuki Aowara," Kansuke said. "We came here to Shimabara by train instead of by car, so..."

"Hmm, can I see some ID, please?" Iwano asked Aowara.

Conan noticed the cab's front seat. He noticed the cap Aowara was wearing. Then he thought of the wet windows on the stolen cars, and then of the mountains, and then...

Then he understood. Enough, anyway.

"Ah, taximan! Taximan!" Conan said in a very childish voice. "What are you doing? We need to go now! Uncle, Inspector Yamato, what are you doing? We need to hurry up and leave!"

"Where to, Conan-kun?" Kansuke asked.

"Why are you taking his rambling nonsense seriously?" Kogoro asked.

"Because his 'rambling nonsense' has done more to help than everything you've done so far!" Kansuke barked.

Kogoro shut up after that.

"Conan-kun, can you tell us?" Kansuke asked.

Conan shook his head. "It's a surprise. Come on, let's go! Taximan, I call shotgun!"

Kansuke got into the back of the car and Kogoro reluctantly followed.

"Aowara-san, you don't mind ferrying us around a little longer, do you?" Kansuke asked.

Aowara shook his head a bit uneasily. "N-no, let's go." Then they drove off.

 **Scene Transition**

"Alright, taximan, you can just keep going straight," Conan said in his childish voice.

"Why'd you take us up into the mountains, brat?" Kogoro asked with annoyance.

"STOP!" Conan said.

The vehicle stopped. Conan saw them: the tread marks leading off-road.

"H-hey, don't you guys think we oughta be heading back?" Aowara said nervously.

" _Ah_ - _le_ - _le_?" Conan said. "Taximan, are you...scared?"

"No I'm not!" he protested.

"Wow, I didn't know that anything could frighten taximen," Conan said with a childish naivety. "Look, somebody drove their car off-road, see?"

"Ch-chotto matte!" Kansuke said, looking out the window. "Is that...?"

"The kidnappers' hideout," Kogoro said. "But...how?"

"I really think we should just turn around and go back!" Aowara shouted, more like a demand or a plea than a mere suggestion.

"Aowara-san, are you afraid of kidnappers?"

"W-Well, I guess," he said.

"No. That's not it."

Every eye inside the car was now fixed on Conan.

"Mister, you're anything but an ordinary cab driver," Conan said. "Your acting leaves much to be desired. It leads to more questions than answers."

"What are you blabbering about now?" Kogoro asked.

"First off, he hasn't bothered to readjust the seat," Conan said. "The way he's driving now looks uncomfortable. The seat's leaned too far back. Look, he has to lean forward while driving, see? Second, the cap he's wearing. I've noticed that when passing by stoplights he puts his head down, as though he doesn't want traffic cameras seeing his face. Third, he drives like your average Joe, not like a trained professional. And that's to say nothing of how young you look. What are you, like 20? How many people are professional cab drivers at that age?"

" _Bakana_!" Aowara said. "This kid clearly doesn't know what he's talking about!"

"In that case, I'll ask that same question the police officer back there did," Conan said. "ID, please."

Aowara was silent. His face suggested frustration and powerlessness.

"Of course, you can't show us your ID," Conan said. "Because the ID of the man named Shonoyuki Aowara either was disposed of or you still have it but it's something that shows you to be an imposter. I'm sure the guy whose picture's on the license looks nothing like you. If you showed us your own ID, then the name wouldn't match with what you claimed it to be."

"But why would he...? Kansuke began.

"Aowara" sighed. He opened up the glove compartment and pulled out a gun.

"Alright, everybody out, now!" he barked.

They did as they were told.

"Alright, now you're gonna follow the off-road tracks so you can go meet my brothers," the man ordered.

"What's your real name, at long last?" Kansuke asked.

The man grinned. "Call me Kai. Kai Shiramata."

 **Scene Transition**

"Hey guys! I got 'em! They're coming right atcha!"

In the thick brush Conan finally saw it: the black van and the little red car, parked in the middle of the wilderness.

One of the kidnappers, Kazuto Shiramata, stepped into view. "What the h*'ll, bro! This wasn't the plan!"

"Yeah, well, this kid here screwed up the plan," Kai said glaring at Conan.

"Now I remember," Kansuke said. "When I came to Shimabara a few months offer my condolences to the Shiramata family, you four were present. Kusao's four little brothers."

By this time the remaining two brothers, Kazuo and Kanpei, had also gathered around.

"Before we continue, I need assurances that my friends are alive," Kansuke said. "And the little girl too."

Kazuo, the oldest of the four, signaled to Kanpei and the two of them opened the back door to the van and signaled for the three hostages to step out. Yui, Komei, and Nancy did as they were told.

"How did you find us?" Kazuo asked.

"The windows," Conan said. "The mountain is foggy, and at high elevation temperature tends to drop sharply, by many tens of degrees even. At low temperatures, the water droplets that make up the fog condense into liquid form, especially on surfaces that conduct heat poorly, such as window glass. Metal, on the other hand, conducts heat well, which is why car door handles and the metal parts of seatbelts get so hot easily. This is also why the fog droplets were less likely to condense onto the metal parts of the car. From this, it became apparent you were hiding in a cold, foggy place. However, water evaporates. Hence, by the fact that the water hadn't fully evaporated by the time we encountered the red car, one can deduce that the hideout was relatively close to the Onokoba Elementary Memorial Site. The only cold, foggy place sufficiently close to there is this mountain."

Kazuto grinned. "Impressive, brat."

"But what was Kai Shiramata's role in this?" Kogoro asked.

"Keeping an eye on me, most likely," Kansuke said. "The fact that they were driving stolen cars meant they didn't want to be waiting out in a public place for long, so they used him to tell them when we'd be getting from place to place, so they could time it right. Furthermore, if after Yui's abduction we called the police, they'd know not to go to the Onokoba memorial, in case their riddle's answer was known to the local authorities."

"But why give us that riddle in the first place?" Komei asked. "Why not just tell us where to go?"

"Hey, no talking, hostage!" Kanpei said.

"Oh, that?" Conan said. "They felt it best to take Inspector Uehara to their hideout, with one guy assigned to guard her, before going to the ambush at Onokoba. Also, they needed to go back and change vehicles so as to catch us off guard at Onokoba. For this purpose they needed to buy some time, hence the riddle. Most likely, they were afraid of going up against three veteran police officers, which is why they set this whole charade up, to pick off Inspector Yamato's colleagues one by one."

There was a pause.

"So...what now?" Kansuke asked.

"That should be obvious," Kazuo said. "Kanpei, go get that thing."

Kanpei went to the front of the black van and then returned with a _tanto_ blade.

"Behold," Kazuo said. "This is the same weapon that our dear brother used to kill himself. You're going to plunge this into your own stomach, and then die from disembowlment. I suppose you should thank us, that we're even granting you the dignity to die like he did."

"No."

"Huuh?" Kazuto said.

"That might've been a credible threat before," Kansuke said. "But now that my friends know your identities, you're just gonna kill them no matter what, right?"

"If your pursuit revenge was limited to just me," Kansuke continued, "I might've let you go. But since you dragged the people I care about and even young children into this, you shouldn't expect any mercy from me."

Kazuo scoffed. "And what are you going to do? We're the ones with the guns here."

Kansuke took a deep breath. "I'm going...to TELL YOU THE TRUTH! About your dear older brother, and what kind of a person he really was!"

 **Scene Transition**

 _"...And that sums up the nature of today's operation," Kansuke's superior officer said. "Return to your normal duties now."_

 _Kansuke shifted his glance across the room. The person acting the most fidgety was..._

 _No, he thought. Please, not him._

 _Still, it was his duty to confirm it, if true. If it wasn't him, then looking into that person would put his mind at ease, if nothing else._

 _Kusao stood up and walked out of the room._

 _"Hey, Kan-chan," Yui began. "How do..."_

 _"Not now, Uehara," Kansuke said._

 _After Kusao had walked a few yards away, Kansuke stood up and began to follow him silently._

 **Scene Transition**

 _"...Yes, he'll be going under the alias Goemon Suzuki," Kusao said. "He should be wearing a long sleeved blue turtleneck shirt and skinny jeans. Alright, you're welcome, bye."_

 _He hung up. Checking each stall a second time to make sure nobody overheard him, he sighed and opened the bathroom door._

 _Standing outside was Kansuke, who grabbed him by the collar and pushed him back inside the room. Kansuke locked the door, leaving him alone to confront Kusao Shiramata, traitor of the Japanese police force. Kusao was trapped like an animal in a cage._

 _There was a long silence._

 _"...How much did you overhear?" Kusao asked._

 _"Enough," Kansuke answered. "What was your motivation? Greed? Did money compel you to trample on every moral principle you professed to believe in?"_

 _Kusao was silent._

 _"Please, at least tell me you've got a good reason," Kansuke said. "Is someone you care about being held hostage? At least grant me that, okay?"_

 _Kusao didn't answer._

 _"...It really was money, then?" Kansuke said._

 _He chuckled out loud. "You mean to say that...little slips of paper are so important to you that you betrayed all your friends, huh?! HUH?! Answer me, you little...!"_

 _"IT WAS DEBT, OKAY?!" Kusao said. "One evening about a year ago, I decided to try my luck playing poker in an underground casino. I lost a good bit of money, but that night something was triggered in me, like a switch was flipped on, and I kept being drawn back to the poker house. I-I couldn't stop! Soon, I was knee high in debt! I couldn't pay all that off on my own, but, at the same time, I was too ashamed to call home begging my parents for money. Soon they got wind that I was a cop. I really thought they were gonna kill me right then and there, but instead they told me they'd cancel my debt if I became their inside man in the police force. B-But, it isn't my fault! Those men were gonna...!"_

 _Kansuke punched him in the face, square in the jaw. "FIVE PEOPLE DIED BECAUSE OF YOU, YOU PIECE OF S**T!"_

 _He panted. There was another pause._

 _"What are you...going to do?" Kusao asked._

 _"The only thing I can do," Kansuke said. "As an officer of the law, I can't just stand by and watch you continue to betray and participate in the murder of the people I work with and care about. I will report you, and you'll spend time behind bars. That's not what I'd be worried about, though. You, who are of samurai lineage, have brought shame upon your entire family, and disgrace upon the heads of your mother and father."_

 _Kansuke turned to leave. Then he paused. "But..."_

 _"But?" Kusao asked eagerly, hoping there might be a chance his friend would show him mercy."_

 _"While it's true that the threat to the Japanese police force must be stopped, and while you cannot continue to evade justice while you draw breath, this doesn't have to mean lasting disgrace for you and your family," Kansuke said. "Not necessarily. I'll wait 24 hours before contacting the police and telling them what I know. During that time I'll be hiding out of town, in an undisclosed location, in case you get the stupid notion in your head that your problems can be solved by killing me. But...if by the time that the allotted 24 hours pass you've killed yourself, there won't be any reason for me to reveal your sins to the world."_

 _"W-why would you tell me something like that?!" Kusao demanded. "Do you really hate me that much, Kansuke?!"_

 _"On the contrary!" Kansuke barked. "I'm giving you a chance to die with honor! Honor's important to you, isn't it?!"_

 _There was another pause._

 _"You can do it in the seppuku style," Kansuke said. "Like a real samurai would. You can die a martyr like Amakusa Shiro, a martyr for the cause of honor."_

 _"But just know this," Kansuke concluded. "If you don't follow through, and if I'm forced to expose your dishonor, then you are not Amakusa Shiro, but rather you are Matsukura Katsuie. That's all I have to say to you, goodbye."_

 _Kansuke unlocked the bathroom door, opened it, and walked out without looking back._

 **Scene Transition**

"As we all know, Kusao followed through with it," Kansuke said with great emotion. "He killed himself rather than face dishonor and in the end proved himself true and faithful to everything that he said he believed in. In the end, Kusao Shiramata was a great man! And now, I hope, the four of you understand the full extent of your own disgrace: that you used the name of this great man as a pretense for threatening innocent people!"

"N-no way," Kai said.

"BIG BROTHER!" Kazuo shouted, on the verge of tears.

The four kidnappers fell to their knees, overwhelmed with an array of conflicting emotions. Later, when the police came to arrest them, they put up no resistance.

 **Ending**

(Spirit by Rina Aiuchi)

There are only two kinds of people in this complex world

Those who'll fight for what's precious and everyone else

Sometimes I lay awake at night wondering why this is

Is it perhaps that we believe all hope is already lost?

It takes a lot less effort to tap out and forfeit the prize

Hang our heads in shame and defeat, a prisoner of war

Too many voices have cried out "Awaken, thou that sleepest!"

What we need is soothing balm so these bones may stir again

Come, you and me, together let's put on a show for the ages

Hurry, the curtain rises, the epic drama begins to unfold!

Oh you graceful swan, dancing in the middle of the downpour

All the world's your stage, and every eye is fixed on you

You've got heart, and nobody can ever take that away from you

Give them what they came for, the indomitable human spirit!

Now the six of them stood together at the grave of Kusao Shiramata.

"So that was your friend, huh?" Kogoro said. "A man who killed himself rather than let it be known that he was a traitor. I know this is kind of a scummy thing to say, but: I think he took the coward's way out. I think his parents would've rather had a delinquent son, than for their son to turn up dead, and I think his four brothers would've felt the same way. He committed seppuku for his own sake, without regard for the consequences this would have on other people."

The Nagano police officers didn't speak.

"I-I'm sorry, uh, I realize I don't really have the right to..."

"No," Kansuke said. "You're okay, Mouri-san. I've grappled with this myself. Was what I did the right call? Would it have been better just to make him face the consequences of his actions in this life? Likewise, would everybody have perceived his suicide as heroic? All this is why I kept quiet about what I know, even to Komei and Yui..."

"Kansuke-kun, you've really been carrying this burden by yourself all this time?" Yui asked.

"Yeah," Kansuke said. "But what I realized today...is that I don't want to lose any more of my friends. Not to vague notions of honor or anything else."

"The feeling is mutual," Komei said. "Yui and I...we won't say a word to anyone about what you did, good or bad."

Kansuke nodded with a smile, looking somewhat teary-eyed. "Komei, Yui! Let's go home."

He turned to Mouri and shook his hand. "I am so sorry that your family got caught up in all this."

Kogoro nodded. "It's all good. I hope we have a chance to see you three again, though hopefully outside of a criminal investigation next time."

"I'll look forward to it."

Then Kansuke bent down and looked Conan in the eye.

He began to speak, but then he put his face up to Conan's ear and whispered:

"Thank you, Shinichi Kudo."

Conan was a bit shocked to hear this. He couldn't speak at all.

"You don't have to say anything," Kansuke said. "Just...keep doing what you do. The world needs more people like you."

Then he stood beside Komei and Yui. They waved one last time and then the Mouris and the Nagano police parted ways.

Kogoro looked at Nancy. "Hey, girl, I..."

Nancy looked at up him, and again he was taken off guard by how much she resembled Ran.

He smiled. "N-no, it's nothing. Come on, let's go home, the three of us."

They walked from the grave together, a family. It was a touching scene, but then Kogoro had to ruin it by adding:

"Eri's fixing her famous vegan meatloaf tonight."

 **End of Episode**


End file.
